A well-traveled age-grouper gives us a glimpse of his favorite haunts, from France's Poitou-Charente to the Scottish Highlands.

by Selwyn Parker

What does every triathlete want in a train-cation? Quiet roads and trails with plenty of lung and quad-burning hills are a good place to start, along with a temperate sea nearby or a lap pool of at least 25 meters. Next up, we’d want reliably clement weather, probably on the hot side to tune up the sweat glands, and the availability of a few races to check the form.

Also top priority if we're intending to stay for a few weeks would be a clean and simple self-catering accommodation with a comfortable bed and space to spread out, a kitchen, and some space outside in the shape of a deck or a patch of grass where you can watch the sun go down.

With these ticked off, we turn to the all-important après-training. My preference is a village or small town with a supermarket and at least two cafés/restaurants/bars/pubs probably no more than ten minutes away by bike where you can sit and watch the world go by, comfortable in the knowledge that you’ve done the work and deserve a break.

That's not too much to ask, is it?

My wife and I are lucky to travel a lot for our work, so over the years I’ve been introduced to many suitable locations off the beaten track. Here are four of my favourite places to hang my helmet for a spell in Britain and Europe.

France: Lakes and cafés

As a place to work up to an early-season event such as the IRONMAN 70.3 Pay d'Aix in May, The Poitou-Charente region has got it all. It’s a rural province about three hours south of Paris by train. With a vast network of smooth-surfaced roads and enough climbs to keep even the pros happy, the cycling is magical. Being vélo-mad, French drivers are extremely courteous. In fact, many will give you the thumbs up or shout "courage" through the window.

Between late spring and autumn, probably the most triathlete-friendly part of the region is the Haute Charente with its many lakes. Wherever you go on the bike, you’re never more than 10-15 kilometers away from a café-restaurant, usually in a medieval village. If you can manage without salt water and seagulls, the lakes are ideal for swimming and many have cafés that open in the warmer months. There are a few public pools but they’re far apart and lane swimming isn’t a top priority.

Keep in mind that in the summer, temperatures can get on the hot side—this is one of the sunniest regions in France.

At-a-glance:

→ Best time to visit: March-June and September-October, but Kona-bound triathletes won’t mind the 35C-plus temps of high summer.

→ Look for a wide choice of reasonably priced accommodation including Air BnB-type places and gîtes (literally, a shelter).

→ The two main railway stations are Angouleme and Limoge at different corners of the province, and low-cost flights come into Limoge airport.

→ With a limited bus service, public transport can be difficult but there’s a rail service that links the cities with the towns including Chabanais in the heart of the Haute Charente.

Austria: Vo2 City

Admittedly, there’s nothing particularly secret about Kitzbühel deep in the alps. Nicknamed "Glitzy Kitz," it’s a postcard-perfect medieval town with cobbled streets that has been on the tourist map for a couple of centuries. Its main attraction for triathletes is the Schwarzsee lake in the heart of the town and the 750 kilometres of bike and running trails—yes,750—winding their way through the Kitzbühel mountains right on the doorstep. In fact, the town and the mountains are practically indivisible. If you’re looking to burn up the two climbs in the IRONMAN 70.3 St. Polten in spring, you can’t go wrong.

Located at 800-2000 meters above sea level, Glitzy Kitz is the perfect place to build your VO2 max. As a sports-mad town, summer and winter, Kitzbühel has hosted more than its fair share of championships triathlons including the 2017 ETU titles which come up on June 17-18.

At-a-glance:

→ As for cafes and bars, take your pick of dozens.

→ If the Schwarzsee (literally Black Lake) is too chilly, there’s an indoor pool and spa open between May and September.

→ Considering the popularity of Kitzbühel, accommodation can be surprisingly reasonable, for instance €70 a night for a couple in high summer.

Between May and September, it’s hard to beat the Scottish Highlands for training with its quiet and testing back roads and bracing fresh air. After all, you don’t always need to train in the heat.
Moreover, it’s good preparation for the IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh in July, which won’t exactly be tropical.My favorite stomping ground is the lower Highlands of Perthshire, a paradise for outdoors activities from climbing and paddling to off-road running and triathlons, all taking place around the ancient cities and towns of Perth, Blairgowrie, Dunkeld and Aberfeldy.

And like France, you’re never too far from a café dishing up home-baked scones and muffins and cakes to fortify you for the next hour on the bike.

The word’s getting around about Perthshire. There are bike shops galore, notably Escape Route in Pitlochry and JM Richards in Perth where they’ll talk cycling for hours.

There are 25-metre pools at Perth, Perthshire’s biggest city, and Aberfeldy that schedule generous periods for lane swimming, especially at weekends.

At-a-glance:

→ Best time to visit: late April (if you’re hardy) through to late September. Scotland’s not nearly as chilly as its reputation even though the Romans named it Caledonia, meaning cold country. As I write (in mid-May), it’s over 20C.

→ There’s a wide choice of accommodation, particularly B&Bs.

→ As for après-training, there’s a pub to suit every taste. My favorites are The Old Mill and McKay’s in Pitlochry, The Foundry and the Ship Inn in Perth, and The Meeting Place in Dunkeld, a haunt of mountain bikers.

→ It’s about 1½ hrs by rail from Edinburgh to Perth, going on to Dunkeld and Pitlochry. Take a GPS unit on these roads otherwise you can easily get lost.

Deep in the hills about 1.5 hours by car above the busy city of Malaga (not recommended for cycling), you find the white village of Olvera. We’re talking about Andalusia, the hottest part of Spain, where you can ride or run for hours along roads that traverse olive groves stretching as far as the eye can see. And you’ll be lucky to see more than a few people on the way.

Be warned though, the terrain can be tough but at least you are guaranteed to come away much stronger than when you arrived,
and, if you’re doing it, more than ready for the IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella, generally in April, or any other event with big climbs (think IRONMAN Lanzarote and IRONMAN France). Pro teams sometimes train up here.

When you can’t face another hill, there’s always the Via Verde (Green Way) just below the village. It’s a broad and rolling path for cyclists, runners and walkers laid over 38kms of old railway line. Best to get started around 7am, and make sure to have a much-deserved coffee or beer at the refurbished estación when you’ve finished.)

In summer the area is too hot for hard training, but for the rest of the year midday temperatures range between 12-25C, with little rain.

Out of season, the 25-meter pool is closed but there’s an excellent year-round piscina about an hour away by car in the popular town of Ronda and, in the summer, a 50-meter one in the city of Antequera, also about an hour away. The best time to go to the pool is during siesta, around 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm. In the warmer months there are triathlon camps in the area, for instance at nearby Zahara lake (bring your wetsuit).

As for après-training, Olvera could hardly be more different than Ritzy Kitz. It’s a working village that offers plain fresh food but it does boast 99 bars. I’ve never tried to count them, but half of them seem to be open at any one time. And the coffee is always perfect.

At-a-glance:

→ Best time to visit: March and June are perfect, although it can be nippy in the early morning, also late September to November. If Kona’s on your list and you want to test your mettle in 35C temperatures, a couple of weeks here in July and August will set you up.

→ Accommodation comes at give-away prices, for as little as €25 a night per couple for a tiny but quaint apartment. The Sierra y Cal hotel in the middle of Olvera is spotless, with great Spanish dishes.

→ You really want a hire car here, but the rates in Malaga are fiercely competitive and sometimes you can get a vehicle for a few euros a day.